Dutch translation

Learn how to get better translations crafted by real people

Better Languages offers professional Dutch translation services into all major variants of the language. Our translations have enabled top retailers to enter the Belgian and Dutch markets. To discover more, read our New Look case study.

We have over 30 years experience translating corporate texts between English and Dutch. This includes technical documents such as data sheets, and manuals. We also work on legal documents such as contracts, and marketing texts, both for print and web use.

Professional Dutch Translation Services

A staggering 30 million people around the world speak Dutch as a first or second language. Dutch is a Germanic language primarily spoken in the Netherlands. There are Dutch Communities in Belgium, Aruba, South Africa, Indonesia, and in Suriname. They all speak variants of the language.

At Better Languages we believe that no one speaks a language better than a local. That is why all of our translators are native speakers. They can ensure understanding, accuracy and authentic tone. However, just speaking two languages isn’t enough. Our Dutch translators are therefore both native of the required dialect, and professionally qualified in translation. We also pay careful attention to specialism. All translators specialise. It is vital that we understand your specialist vocabulary. That’s why a legal translator will work on your contract document or website Ts and Cs. A marketing expert will work on your website or sales brochure.

Passionate About the Dutch Language

We not only provide professional and reliable Dutch translation services, we’re passionate about language. We’re aware that not all Dutch language is the same, the dialects are remarkably different. The spoken language varies from region to region in the Netherlands, but there are also considerable differences between countries. That is why Better Languages works with you to understand the audience of your translation. We can then advise of the dialect and other cultural variations you need to be aware of.

Belgian Dutch is also known as Flemish. Despite the EU classifying a single language for both Belgium and Holland, Flemish is distinctly different to Dutch for Holland. It is a bit like comparing US and UK English. There are many similarities, but also important differences.

In some areas of technical translation there is little difference in terminology between Flemish and Dutch. A good example is food ingredients. However, in other areas of translation such as marketing, it is really important to localise for the correct country.

Proofing Your Dutch Translation

Better Languages offers a finished artwork sign-off service. We can check and sign-off any artwork containing our Dutch translations before you print it. There is an additional charge for this service, but we really believe it is important. There is no substitute for us checking the final version of our translation as it appears on your artwork.

Whenever you manipulate text, you risk error. Artworkers can easily misplace text. We have even known them to add the wrong language on multi-lingual artwork. You should realise that the supposed Dutch text is actually Arabic or Chinese. However, would you spot the difference between Dutch and Flemish? This is obvious to a native speaker, but not to anyone else.

Sorry we don’t proofread other people’s translations. This is because if a translation is of poor quality, it is often quicker and easier to start again. Also with artwork, we can’t always be sure of the intended original text. If English appears alongside the Dutch, do you intend both to be the same? Maybe you have added additional text in one language, or updated the English but not the translation. If we don’t have an original text to compare against, we can’t be sure how good the translation is, even if the text reads well.